Apple releases visionOS SDK for creating Vision Pro apps and plans to open applications for Apple Vision Pro developer kits and developer labs in July 2023

When Apple announced Vision Pro at WWDC, the company promised to make a robust set of tools available for developers.

9to5Mac 2023-06-22 Chance Miller

Context & Ripple Effects

Apple’s SDK and planned developer-kit access establish the practical starting point for Vision Pro software: developers can begin building and testing before the platform reaches users. The related coverage shows Apple extending that access with loaner developer kits and specialized support.

The move also precedes a platform-distribution path in which the visionOS beta gains an App Store and compatible iPadOS and iOS apps are published to Vision Pro by default. Apple later reinforced the category with “spatial computing apps” marketing guidance, indicating that tooling, distribution, and positioning were being developed together.

First-order effects

Developers gain the visionOS tools needed to create native Vision Pro applications and a route to request hands-on hardware and lab access.
Apple can begin shaping the early Vision Pro catalog and collect developer feedback while the platform’s software conventions are still being set.

Second-order effects

Developers without early hardware access may depend on Apple’s kit and lab program, making access to testing capacity a near-term differentiator in who can ship polished apps first.
The SDK’s capabilities, including travel and guest-use features described in related coverage, give developers concrete device contexts to design around rather than treating Vision Pro as a generic headset target.

Third-order effects

If Apple sustains the sequence of SDK access, hardware support, App Store distribution, and category guidance, Vision Pro software may develop around Apple-defined spatial-computing conventions rather than existing AR/VR terminology and workflows.
Early platform quality will depend less on SDK availability alone than on whether developers can justify specialized design and testing for a new device category; that remains unresolved by the coverage.

The trend: Apple is building a new device platform through a staged developer funnel: tools first, scarce hardware access next, then distribution and category standards.

Discussion

@jamesthomson@mastodon.social James Thomson on mastodon
This is PCalc running as a native Apple Vision Pro app (rather than running the existing iPadOS app as before).
@simonbs@mastodon.social @simonbs@mastodon.social on mastodon
It's amazing how much the appearance of a Vision Pro app changes depending on wheher it's built “Designed for iPad” against the iPadOS SDK or it is built as a proper Vision Pro app against the visionOS SDK. — I think “Designed for iPad” apps stand very little chance of becoming…
@matthewbischoff@mastodon.social @matthewbischoff@mastodon.social on mastodon
🥽 Start your (neural) engines... https://www.apple.com/...
@schwa@mastodon.social Jonathan Wight on mastodon
PSA Oh if you have a PS5 or Xbox controller hooked up to your mac - don't forget that you can use it to navigate in the visionOS simulator.
@JustMeDevin@mastodon.social Devin on mastodon
Crouton running on visionOS! 🥳 now the UI just needs a lot of attention
@stroughtonsmith@mastodon .social Steve Troughton-Smith on mastodon
This is a special moment for me, so I'll share it with you too: this is the first launch of @broadcastsapp natively on visionOS. It's alive! 🧟 — Lots of work to do, but this is promising
@stroughtonsmith@mastodon .social Steve Troughton-Smith on mastodon
I'd be lying if I said I wasn't completely overwhelmed by how much effort I see before me to try and support visionOS properly across any one of my apps, nevermind all of them 😵‍💫
@stroughtonsmith@mastodon .social Steve Troughton-Smith on mastodon
visionOS bringup so far: painful
@stroughtonsmith@mastodon .social Steve Troughton-Smith on mastodon
visionOS: No navigation apps, no photography apps 👀
@stroughtonsmith@mastodon .social Steve Troughton-Smith on mastodon
There is a long list of 'don't's for visionOS: for example, no AirPlay support, no App Clips, no Handoff, no HealthKit, no Widgets https://developer.apple.com/ documentation/visionos/checking-whether - your-app-is-compatible-with-visionos
@_Davidsmith@mastodon.social David Smith on mastodon
Probably the best place to get started is to read through the updates to the HIG, while I've been trying to think through how best to develop for visionOS for the last two weeks, the folks at Apple have been thinking about for years. So best to learn from their experiences. — …
@dcseifert@mastodon.social Dan Seifert on mastodon
so — who's making a vision pro fart app
@_Davidsmith@mastodon.social David Smith on mastodon
I often joke that WWDC Monday feels like Christmas morning...well this year Christmas came twice in June... 🎄 🎉 It is visionOS day! 🎉🎄 — Oh boy, these can't download fast enough. So excited to get started developing. — So Let's Get Started!
@simonbs@mastodon.social @simonbs@mastodon.social on mastodon
The visionOS runtime for Xcode is still called xrOS 😄
@lindadong @lindadong on x
🎂 Oh hey, the Apple visionOS SDK ................is here!!! Download it and make cool stuff 🥰 https://developer.apple.com/ ...
@stevemoser Steve Moser on x
🔨 Best Practices: - Embrace the unique features of Apple Vision Pro, like space, Spatial Audio, and immersion. - Consider varying levels of immersion to suit different moments within the app. - Use windows for UI-centric experiences. [image]
@twostraws Paul Hudson on x
Once you have the visionOS SDK installed you can really see how the idea of light and dark mode just doesn't make sense with Vision Pro - click the mountain icon in the bottom-right corner to try different environments, and also different times of day 🌄 [video]
@stevemoser Steve Moser on x
🌟 In visionOS, ‘ornaments’ are elegant UI elements that offer controls and info related to a window without cluttering the content. They float parallel to the window and move along with it [image]
@stevemoser Steve Moser on x
🌌 In visionOS, design apps with immersive experiences in Apple Vision Pro. Offer Shared Space for multitasking & Full Space for focused content. [video]
@stevemoser Steve Moser on x
🕹️ Depth matters: Vision Pro uses visual cues like shadows and occlusion for natural depth perception. Don't overuse it though - it should add value, especially in separating large elements. Avoid adding depth to text. [video]
@stevemoser Steve Moser on x
🛋️ Prioritize comfort by displaying content within a user's field of view, supporting indirect gestures, avoiding overwhelming motion, and not encouraging excessive movements. (No fitness apps at launch?) [image]
@stevemoser Steve Moser on x
Quick tweet summary thread of the changes Apple made to its Human Interface Guidelines for visionOS: Create immersive apps on Apple Vision Pro with limitless 3D space, fluid immersion levels, and Spatial Audio. Best Practices: [image]
@gregjoz Greg Joswiak on x
Apple Vision Pro allows apps to go beyond the boundaries of a traditional display, helping users do the things they love in ways never before possible. I can't wait to see what incredible things developers will create that will amaze all of us. https://www.apple.com/...

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